Monterey County to transfer some local jail inmates to Alameda County

Monterey County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract with Alameda County to house up to 80 local jail inmates in a facility in Dublin, at a cost of up to $2.5 million, despite a request from the American Civil Liberties Union that the county hold community meetings first.

The funds are to come from state realignment money allotted to help counties cope with the costs of keeping lower-level criminal offenders in local custody.

The ACLU in March protested the plan and called on county supervisors and the county's Community Corrections Partnership — which oversees state realignment funds — to hold a public meeting specifically on the issue.

The cost per inmate will vary from $85 to $125 per day depending on how many prisoners Monterey County sends north, according to the contract, which expires in June 2014.

Local officials say it costs around $124 a day to house each inmate in Monterey County Jail, which is currently holding around 130 percent over its designed-for capacity of 825.

Sheriff Scott Miller said the percentage of female inmates in Monterey County Jail has been increasing because women comprise a higher percentage of "triple non" offenders. The term has sprung into use because, under realignment, inmates eligible for jail instead of prison are those convicted of a long list of non-serious, non-violent, non-sexual crimes.

"Our jail population is increasing on a daily basis," Miller said.

Monterey County inmates serving longer sentences will be the ones housed at Dublin's Santa Rita jail, which is run by Alameda County.

Miller said that facility offers more inmate programs, which would benefit the county when the inmates return, and he called Santa Rita "very suitable."

Asked by Supervisor Jane Parker whether he has addressed community concerns about shipping inmates farther from their families, which may hinder rehabilitation, Miller said his office was "sensitive" to the issue, though it offered no remedies. He did say that if the inmates had gone to prison instead of jail, they would likely be transported much farther from home than Dublin, which is about an hour and a half from Salinas.

The county's $12.3 million realignment budget, also approved Tuesday, steers the bulk of its state money toward law enforcement — $4.1 million will go to the Sheriff's Office, mainly for housing more jail inmates and transporting defendants to and from court appearances. The $2.5 million for sending inmates out of county comes out of that total.

The probation department, which oversees electronic monitoring and post-release supervision "a new form of probation that replaces state parole for realigned offenders" will also receive just over $3 million.

There is some money for rehabilitative programs in the budget, although far less than some critics, including the ACLU, would like to see. But the county probation's adult day reporting center, which has been praised by public defender Jim Egar, will continue to get $1 million, and county behavioral health with get just under $1.3 million for psychiatric social workers and residential treatment programs.

Eric Petersen, the lone speaker during public comments before the jail vote, said that while he approved of the transfer plan, he also suggested Monterey County judges could do their part to help lower the jail population.

Around 73 percent of Monterey County jail inmates are awaiting trial, a ratio is that is far higher than the state average. Local bail rates are also higher than in surrounding communities, an analysis by The Herald found last year.

"It might be good to ask judges to either lower bail or release more of them on their own recognizance," Petersen said.